On October 15, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy, the hall was packed with people. Women from all over the world were dressed in costumes, and photos of them in the fields were displayed on the screen. The winners of the "FAO 100 Heroines of Agricultural Food Systems and Rural Development" are about to usher in their highlight moments here.
Yin Yuzhen, a Chinese desertification control model worker, walked into the venue wearing a green suit, which was her carefully selected "representative color". Behind him, retired American teacher Sekos (real name: Ronald Sakolsky) playfully showed off his specially prepared dragon element tie to reporters.
Two elderly people over sixty years old quietly walked to the front row of the venue. At this time, no one knew that they were the final guests of this ceremony. Yin Yuzhen, a Chinese farmer who has been planting trees in the sand for 40 years and turning the desert into a forest, was the 100th winner who was not yet announced at the time. American teacher Sykes was moved by her deeds and raised funds to support her. Many years later, he was able to return to China to witness the miracle of desert greening with his own eyes.
In order to leave the suspense until the last moment, FAO event planners strictly restricted the media's contact with the two protagonists before the award ceremony.
Behind the overwhelming reports, who are they and how do they communicate with each other? How do they express their feelings when they meet again in Rome this time? With these questions in mind, my colleagues and I stayed at the hotel after they arrived. After unremitting efforts to obtain official consent, we completed the exclusive interview ahead of schedule within the tight schedule.
We took advantage of the rare opportunity to chat with Yin Yuzhen and Sai Kosila, help them translate, and prepare delicious snacks for them... After continuous contact, we can clearly feel that they are becoming more and more relaxed, friendly and natural in front of the camera.
On the night of the stay, we happened to catch up with the two of them exchanging gifts. Teacups, toys, souvenir books, suits and sweatshirts...the exchange of seemingly ordinary objects was filled with the flowing hearts of the two old people. They choked, cried and hugged several times.
Despite the early familiarity and careful preparation, the two elderly people’s temporary reactions and lighting conditions at the event site were still beyond our expectations. On October 15, when the video of the deeds of Yin Yuzhen and Sekos was played at the event, the lights at the venue were dimmed. The two old men looked at each other with tears streaming down their faces. Yin Yuzhen tore a tissue in half, gave it to Sekos, and kept wiping her tears.
When the lights came on again, accompanied by the applause of the audience, Yin Yuzhen stepped onto the podium and received the trophy from Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Sekos was called on stage to tell their story in English.
People present shed tears. Winners from all over the world rushed to take photos with Yin Yuzhen; some asked for her contact information and wanted to exchange experiences in tree planting and desertification control; the other two Chinese winners, Dong Minfang and Yu Jinxiu, had an emotional exchange with Sister Yin... In order to preserve the moment of true interaction between people, our shutter did not stop for a moment.
I have never recorded so many tears in my career. They are like the key to thousands of stories behind one story. In front of the camera, they are what Ms. Yin Yuzhen calls "the light shining on the body."
At the end of a busy day, I thanked Yin Yuzhen and Sekos and said goodbye. Yin Yuzhen suddenly took my hand and said: "You are working overseas, you should drink more water and eat well."
At this moment, I felt as if there was light in my body.
